1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technology for setting the depth of a stereoscopic image to be inserted into another image.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the development of high-definition displays, larger and digitized, home televisions and head-mounted displays capable of 3D-display have been commercialized. Further, a technology that superimposes texts and images (referred to as “text”, hereinafter) on a 3D-displayed image (stereoscopic image) has been proposed as well.
In a case in which a text is superimposed on a stereoscopic image, if the difference between the depth with which a subject that is the subject of the gaze is displayed and the depth with which the text is displayed is great, people looking at the images are forced to make large shifts in focus, tiring their eyes. Alternatively, they may not even notice that a text is there. Therefore, for example, in a situation in which, while reproducing a stereoscopic image shot with a home video camera, it is desired to superimpose an externally generated emergency report text onto the stereoscopic image, it is important to synthesize in real time a text with parallax such that there is no difference in depth perception between the text and the subject of the gaze.
In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-325165 (page 8, FIG. 1), a text generating device is proposed that, when an object in the depth of a text that one wishes to attach during editing is specified, obtains depth information and parallax information at coordinates of the specified object to give the text the necessary parallax.
In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-289555 (page 8, FIG. 6), a stereoscopic image display device is proposed that stereoscopically displays character information accompanying stereoscopic image information for broadcasted 3D-display near the relevant speaker in the image.
However, the technology of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-325165 has a drawback in that, because editing must be carried out in advance and the object specified using a joystick or other such manual operation, the edited object cannot be synthesized with the reproduced image in real time.
Also, the technology of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-289555 has a drawback in that, if the subject of interest is not emitting sound, the depth of display of the character information cannot be matched with the depth of the subject.